The New Book Club

Holy cow, two posts in one day! What is this all about?
I have definitely kept up with reading and joined a yearly reading challenge back in 2012 on Goodreads.  I met my goal for 2012 but fell very short in 2013.  I just wasn't motivated and I had quit the bookclub which meant the book club ceased to exist because noone else was going to step up and take over.  I was exhausted trying to make everyone happy. I have since gathered another group of like minded women and started a new bookclub.  It is a group of wonderful ladies that I work with and we are now months in and we have completely enjoyed it.  We have read mostly good books but have read two semi-bad books but that is what makes it fun.  I am still the coordinator but I get more feedback on this one.  The ladies are very animated and our discussions sometimes go off subject but we have a great time. 

Love of Reading

Yes, I know it has been a very long time since I last posted.  I am going to try and be more active in posting.  This year has proven to be a little difficult in me doing the things I love.  Reading and sewing mostly.  We just returned from our vacation which was quite relaxing and I wish I were still there.  Camping, fishing, swimming and relaxing....it was just what the doctor ordered. I wanted to try and read a book while I was out but I was having too much fun doing nothing but having fun.  It was a perfect week to go because this week has been a soppy mess with all the rain. 

I just finished the 7th book of the 44 series by Jools Sinclair and was slightly disappointed but only because I think she is getting us ready for Nathaniel's wrath in book 8.  Not much happened in this one, oh don't get me wrong, things happened but only things that happened to normal people, not things that happen to Abby.  I am still hooked on the series.  I figured I would get bored by the 4th or 5th book but I am still excited when the next books come out. 

What I love about reading is getting lost in the book.  Some books I want to be in and others, I am glad to be safe on my couch or in my bed reading because they are pretty scary.  I like books that make me want to stay even when I am finished reading.  Sometimes it's hard for me to come out of the book.  It's like coming out of a deep sleep and feeling groggy and you are heavy like being on the hot sand at the beach with the sun shining down and your body being completely relaxed and your mind content wishing that moment would never end. 

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and I hope to be posting more soon. 

More Book Club Stuff

I didn't realize how much work went into forming a book club.  I started my book club just on a whim without much more thought than I like to read and wanted to share that with friends.  Well after our first meeting, I decided that I would do some research and get some helpful hints on how to manage a book club. Having a successful book club requires more work than I bargained for.  Some book clubs actually have annual meetings to discuss things other than books....things like holiday parties and what direction the club is going or if the club should invite or uninvite members.  My club is still so small that none of that is necessary.  Other clubs also keep notes of their meetings and even have a member who keeps track of time on each question.  Apparently not much thought from me on how much time would be needed for a successful book club.  I guess I will be spending a few minutes a day on thoughts and notes for our monthly meetings.  So for my loyal blog readers, stay tuned for more on my book club....who knows, I may have a name for it in the months to come.  

The Book Club

When I first heard Oprah talk about her book club I just laughed.  I couldn't imagine being in a book club because I was married with one child and a full time job and both my husband and son had a full time hobbies.  If I wasn't at work, I was at the track somewhere watching the boys practicing or racing.  I would take magazines and pretend to read them like all the other uninterested moms and girlfriends...truth is I was so stinking nervous that one of my boys would get hurt that I watched with a sick stomach and pounding headache until the day was over and both boys were loading the bikes up and were fine except for being tired. 

We have lived in Tennessee for almost three years and I am just now establishing a small circle of friends.  One of which I have become close with, we talk daily and work together twice a week.  Her boys are friends of my son and we try to get together at least once a week.  The other three I am still trying to get to know.  Two of them I have spent some time with but I really haven't had the chance to get to know them.  Both of them have boys that are in the same grade as my son. 

It was about two weeks ago when I met my friend at the book store that I came up with the book club idea.  She and I were looking at the same types of books and I had heard one of our other friends talking about a book she had just finished reading and I knew the other friend loved to read so it just stuck in my head.  After I got home that afternoon, I was on the phone and we had our first meeting two days later.  Of course, my husband and son laughed and had a good time but what they didn't realize is that for me it isn't all about the reading of the books, it is about trying to establish a friendship.  We are all friends but we don't know a lot about each other and this is a way to connect even if it is only once a month.  Who knows, maybe sometime down the road, our book club will grow.  You just never know.